Self-feeding device



March 4, 1941. I o. c. EMRICK SELF -FEEDING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 30, 1937 I I l l ORPHEUS C EMR/G/K &

INVENTOR;

A TTORNEYS.

March 4, 1941. v o. c. EMRICK SELF-FEEDING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ORPHEUS 6 EMF/CA 0 w 0 x w wmf w 0 t. g. m 0 559/ d 0 X m um F N mu NR xxx I??? Patented Mar. 4, 1941 :1

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a feeding device, and particularly to a feeding device of the hopper type designed primarily for feeding swine and sheep, novel means being provided for 1 automatically agitating the feed in the hopper, forming a part of the feeder, as animals are feeding from the device.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a self-feeding device wherein the construction of the feeding device will prevent the swine or sheep feeding from the device from rooting or throwing the feed from the feed troughs, thereby eliminating waste or damage to the feed.

An important object of the invention is to provide a feeding device of this character wherein the feed compartment thereof will be normally closed, and opened by the swine or sheep pushing their heads against the closures in an efiort to gain access to the feed in the compartments.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of means for regulating the passage of material from the hopper, thereby adjusting the device for use in feeding materials of various consistencies.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and. claimed, it being understood that changesin the precise embodiment of the invention herein described, may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the inven tion.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a feeding device constructed in accordance with the invention, a portion of the roof or cover being broken away to illustrate the adjusting means for the agitating member.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmental sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the feeder comprises a body portion including the transversely disposed supporting beams 5 to which the skids 6 are secured, as by means of the bolts 1.

The floor of the feeder comprises boards 8 that are secured to the beams 5, and are arranged transversely of the beams 5, as clearly shown by Figure 2 of the drawings. The inner edges of the boards 8 are spaced apart, and covering this space, are the boards 9 which are inclined, the upper edges thereof being connected, providing an inclined bottom for the hopper, to be hereinafter more fully described, so that the material contained in the hopper may move readily therefrom.

The reference character In designates the inclined side walls of the hopper, and as shown, these walls I are spaced an appreciable distance from the bottom of the hopper, providing discharge openings ll. Partitions I2 have connection with the side walls 10 of the hopper, and divide the hopper into a series of compartments or feed bins, the discharge openings of the feed bins discharging feed into the feed troughs.

A cover indicated by the reference character l3 closes the upper end of the hopper, and is con- 2 nected with the hopper by means of the hinge members embodying pivotally connected bars l4. When the cover has been properly positioned to cover the open upper end of the hopper, hooks l5 which are carried by the cover are hooked into the eye bolts l6, securing the cover in position.

The reference character ll designates adjustable members that are secured to the side walls of the hopper, the members ll being secured to the side walls ill, by means of the bolts I8 that extend through the members, and operate in the elongated openings l9 formed in the side walls of the hopper. Winged nuts indicated at are positioned on the bolts l8 and operate to secure the members I! in their positions of adjustment. Bars 2| are secured to the bolts I8, and have curved upper ends 22 to be engaged by the operators fingers, in moving the members ll.

As clearly shown by Figure 2 of the drawings, a bolt 18 is provided, which bolt has a downwardly extended end formed with a hook 23 that hooks into the link 24 that is connected to the shaft 25 that extends through the center compartment and compartments at opposite sides of the center feeding compartment, the shaft being mounted in openings disposed in the partitions of the feeding compartments. As clearly shown by Figure 1 of the drawings, this shaft is formed with offset portions 26 to one of which the link 24' is connected, so that when the shaft is rotated, the agitating members 21, which are supported by the shaft, are raised and lowered, at the will of the attendant. Each of these agitating members includes a bar 28 and a wide closure member 29 of a width to close the opening associated therewith, when the closure member has been moved to the limit of its downward movement. Agitating rods 30 extend inwardly from the closure 5 members 29 and agitate the material contained in the hopper, to cause the material to feed from the hopper, when the agitating members are in motion.

The bars 3 provide the bottoms for the feed compartments, the front walls of the feed compartments embodying pivoted closures 3| that have links 32 at their upper ends, which links accommodate the shaft 33 that extends trans- Y versely across the feeding device at opposite sides of the feed compartments.

Partitions 34 divide the feed trough intocompartments, the partitions providing supports for the bars 35 that are of widths so. that the side edges thereof extend beyond the side surfaces of.

the partitions, providing stops to be engaged by the ends of the transversely disposed bars '36 that are secured to the pivoted closures 3i, to restrict outward movement of the closures, the endsof-the bars being shown as extending beyond the, side edges of the. closures.

-'Bars.4l' extend along' theend partitions 34 of the body portion and are disposed in line with the bars 35 to be. engaged by the outer ends of the bars 36 of the end closures 3|. Pins indicated 30 by the reference character 31 extend from the partitions .34, and lie in the paths. of travelof the closure members .29, restricting outward movement of the closure members and normally holding the closure members 29 in. position to 335 permit themto. be agitated. -It might be further stated that the pivoted closures 3| are of'lengths to engagethe closure members 29, when theyare moved inwardly, with the result that as the pivoted closures contact with the members 29,

40 the members. are moved or agitated. to cause the material held within the hopper, to be fed therefrom. Covers 40 close the upper ends of the feed compartments to. exclude the elements.

Extending longitudinally of the feeding device,-and disposed on opposite'sidesthereof, are boards 38 on which the swine'or sheep feeding from the device, stand. The end walls of the feeder are indicated by the reference character 4!, and as shown,.these. endv wallsextend beyond the forward. edges ofxthe partitions 3,4. and connect with the boards 38. Metallicfinishing strips 38' are. secured along the front edges of the end Walls 4|.

As shown by Figure 1 of the drawings, the bars 2| of the agitating members 21' disposed adjacent to the ends of the feeder, are connected directly to the agitating members and may be adjusted independently of the shaft 25.

In the use of the device it will be seen that when swine or sheep stand on the bars 38 and open the pivoted closures by contact with their heads, the pivoted closures will be movedinto engagement with the closure members 29-, agitating the material within the hopper of thefeeding device, causing the material to be fedinto the individual compartments or feed'troughs.

I claim:

1. A swine feeding device comprising a body portion including a hopper, feed troughs, said 7 hopper having discharge openings through which feed passes to the feed troughs, a shaft having ofisets, mounted on the body portion, means for adjusting the shaft, agitators operating adjacent to said discharge openingsscontrolling. the

passage of material through said openings, means a for pivotally connecting certain of the agitators to the offsets whereby a plurality of agitators are adjusted simultaneously when the shaft is adjusted, rods mounted on the agitators and extending into the hopper and adapted to agitate material in the hopper, and means controlled by the action of animals feeding from the feed troughs, for operating the agitators.

2..A feeder comprising a. body portion, a hopper forming a part of the body portion, partitions dividing the hopper into a plurality of compartments, feed troughs extending along the body portion, said hopper having openings through which material passes into the feed troughs, agitating members mounted adjacent to the hopper andadapted to control the passage of feed from the hopper, ,shafts'having onset portions, mounted .on the hopper at opposite sides thereof, means for connecting certain of the agitating members to the offset portions of the shafts, adjusting means for the agitating members, said a-diusting means comprising substantially vertically movablemembers having depending hooks, links connected with the shafts and into which the hooks are positioned, and pivoted closures normally closing the feed troughs and adapted to operate the agitating members when the closures are moved inwardly by animals feeding from the troughs.

3. A swine feeding device comprising a body portion, a hopper forming a part of the body portion, movable partitions dividing thev hopper into feed bins, a feed trough, said body portion having openings through which material in the bins passes to. the feed trough, agitating membersmounted within the feed trough and'adapted to'agitate material in, the feed bins; a shaft having offset portions mounted on the body portion, means, for connecting. certain of the agitating members to the offset portions. of the shaft, means foradjusting the .shaft, said means includinga vertically adjusting member'having a depending hook, a link connectedwithsaidhook, saidqlink'being also mounted on oneof the oifset portions of the shaft, whereby the agitating members connected to the shaft may be simultaneously-adjusted, vestibules. disposed over the feed'trough, pivoted closures normally closing the: vestibules and. adapted to operate. the agitating members whensaid; closures. are. moved inwardly'by swine-feeding; fromthe feed troughs.

4. A swine feeding. device comprising av body portion including a hopper, feed troughs, said hopper having dischargeopenings through which feed passes to the feed troughs, a shaft having offsets mounted on the body portion, means. for adjusting the -shaft,- agitators operating. adjacent to said discharge openings controlling: the pas.- sage of material through said openings, means for pivotally connecting certain of the. agitators to the offsets whereby a plurality of. agitators are adjusted simultaneously when the shaft is adjusted, rods mounted on the agitators and extendinginto the hopper: and adapted to. agitate material in the hopper, andimeans controlled by I the .action of animals feeding from thetroughs for operating the agitators, said means including.pivotally'supported. individual closure members adaptedato' .be contacted by the animals feeding in the feeditroughs' to cause substantially continuous contact of the closuresswith. the agitators during such feeding.

ORPHEUS. C.. EMRICK; 

